Home At Last
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Raphael is freed at last. Slash.


Title: "Home At Last"  
Author: Pirate Turner  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Raphael is freed at last.  
Warnings: Slash  
Challenge: For a TMNT Tuesdays LJ comm weekly challenge  
Word Count: 989  
Date Written: 27 June, 2012  
Disclaimer: Casey Jones, April, Master Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo; all other recognizable characters mentioned within; and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are © & TM their rightful owners, not the author. Everything else is © & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Raphael could scarcely believe he'd made it. He'd been in Hell for a month at least, and he'd began to think all hope was lost and the Shredder had killed his family until they had at last managed to break through into the Shredhead's penitentiary. Now they were free, the Shredder and his minions yet again defeated, and Raphael could feel tears beginning to surge in his eyes.

He blinked them stubbornly back, as always, and turned his face toward the bright rays of the early morning sun. They basked upon him and felt so good and warm on his skin and shell. His brothers' hands clasped his shoulders. His heart welled along with his swelling tears.

During all the torments Shredder had put him through, the worst had been his taunts that he had already killed his brothers and that Raph would never see him again. Once more, he relived the arguments they'd had the day before he'd been taken prisoner in his mind. Only this time, he was able to say, "I'm sorry," as he dragged them all into a tight group hug.

He didn't know how long they wavered there, just hugging like crazy. It would have suited him fine to have spent an eternity hugging his brothers, but a voice cut their family time short as it cleared. Raphael would have known that voice anywhere. A fresh surge of tears threatened to finally make the moisture in his eyes spill over as his brothers parted and he saw the one man outside of his family who meant as much to him as any of his brothers did, only in an entirely different manner.

"Casey." His voice was tight with emotion. He was alive! He blinked back his tears. His brothers looked at each other, but Raphael missed the glance the three shared before moving further apart. He'd had so many regrets in that prison, Raph remembered, and he'd sworn if he ever got out, he'd never miss a moment of letting those he loved know how much he truly did care about them.

Well, he thought with his usual irritable, expecting-the-world-to-end-if-he-showed-true-care attitude, here goes nothing or, rather, everything. He stepped forward, grabbed Casey's arms, and drew him to him. The actions were swift but made with surprising gentility for Raph. Casey looked at him in confusion, only his eyes revealing his hope that this moment was going where they had in his dreams. And then, before his brothers and the world, Raphael kissed him.

"Yeah, man!" Mikey crowed, pumping his fist in the hot, Summer air.

Leo and Donnie looked with open-mouthed shock at the couple of men, then looked to one another, and finally turned their gaze to the one who stood behind Casey. There were two others waiting to welcome Raph home, one of whom was wishing she'd brought her camera instead of a sword and Raphael's sais, but it was the one in the lead who, as always, the Turtles turned to for guidance.

Casey and Raphael were gripping each other as hard as they had in their fondest dreams. Their lips were busily embracing, telling each other all they'd not dared say aloud, and doing so with an almost frantic passion for fear that some one would still permanently rip them apart. Raphael's tongue had just began to slide into Casey's hot and eager mouth when Master Splinter softly cleared his throat.

The young men broke instantly apart. Casey started to jump back, but Raph's green appendages entwining with his white fingers kept him still. "Master Splinter," Raphael spoke with sincerity, gazing at his Master and letting his love be shown, "I love him."

Casey blushed. Mikey giggled. Don and Leo again shared a look before looking back to Master Splinter. "Aw," April crooned teasingly and wished even more fervently for her camera.

Master Splinter surveyed his son, saw the true love within his gaze, and shifted his scrutinizing look to Casey. Casey gulped underneath his gaze. His free hand rubbed the back of his neck, and he nodded slowly. Rather than answer Master Splinter's unspoken question, as he did not yet have the courage to face the wise and mighty rat, he looked to Donnie, who'd been his best friend ever since he'd met the Turtles outside of Raph. "I said I'd never looked at another man, and I haven't. I've only ever looked at one Turtle." He winced and blushed a deeper shade of crimson. "That sounded lame."

"Don't worry, Casey," April laughed aloud, "the rest of New York doesn't have to know." She winked. "For the right price."

Raphael growled and cut his eyes at the reporter. "I'll kill ya, Ape," Casey ground out.

Splinter rose a hand, and every one instantly hushed. Even Mikey dared not keep giggling. "If you two love each other," Splinter spoke, smiling and swishing his tail. "As lame as it sounds," he continued, to which Casey's blush darkened even more, "that is all that matters. That," he concluded, stepping up to Raphael, "and that you are home, my son."

Splinter embraced his son. A single tear escaped Raph's restraint and rolled down his green beak. Casey ached to hug him again upon the sight, and April finally hushed her teasing and smiled. Mikey looked to his older brothers, both of whom still seemed stunned. "Cowabunga?" he suggested with a grin.

Leo and Donnie looked to one another one more time that fateful day and then slowly nodded. Looking back to Mikey as Splinter reached out and pulled Casey into his hug with Raph, they agreed, "Cowabunga!" The three Turtles high fived and then looked back to the rest of their family with silly grins.

April sniffled. It really was a Kodak moment.

Splinter slid out of the hug, leaving Casey and Raphael still embracing. He turned into the rising sun. "Let us go home," he said, and his family, complete at last, did just that.

**The End**


End file.
